Utah Heritage Foundation

As you may know, what is being dubbed the Hub District has long been known as the Warehouse District.  That name even dates back to before The Gateway was even a thought!  The Hub District, an area with SL Central Station (formerly known as the Intermodal Hub) has been going through a planning process to give agency and government officials ideas as to what the future should look like.

As described by Envision Utah, the Depot District is one of six key locations identified in the Wasatch Choice for 2040 (WC2040). WC2040 is the land-use and transportation “Vision” for Salt Lake, Weber, Davis and Utah Counties, developed by elected officials and the public to improve our quality of life as our region experiences dramatic growth.  Implementing the Vision will allow us to absorb a 65% population growth (1.4 million additional residents) over the next 30 years, while enhancing our economy, protecting our beautiful natural areas, providing more housing and transportation choices, saving money and energy, and improving our air quality and health.

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ZCMI: A Legacy Cast In Iron

The cast iron facade of Salt Lake City's historic ZCMI store has symbolized pioneering commerce and economic vitality on Main Street for more than 135 years.  The Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution retail enterprise, founded in 1868, was one of the first department stores in America. The ZCMI store was also the only department store to be owned by a religious organization, namely The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, until it was sold in 1999 to The May Department Stores Company, now known  as Macy's, Inc.

Preservationist and friend of UHF, Cevan LeSieur, will present a history of the Avenues on Thursday, February 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Sweet Library Branch (9th Avenue and F Street).  He will present material from the two upcoming books on the Avenues that he authored and will be out in 2012.

SAVE THESE DATES!

Our featured summer tour this year will be the Utah Theatre. Second Saturdays in June-August (June 9, July 14, August 11) from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Admission is free. Hope to see you at this amazing theater awaiting restoration in the proposed downtown cultural core.

Thought these articles were intriguing so check them out:

10 Reasons to Love Your Historic Home

Our fascination with pretty pictures of needy places

You may have heard this week about the bronze statue being stolen from in front of the Pingree Center for Children with Autism.  Valued at a cost of $24,000, it was cut right from it's base with a saw through a foot.  Scrap value for the statue is likely only about $350 but this shows how far people are willing to go for cash these days.

We've heard that at about the same time the statue disappeared, a rash of bronze National Register plaques were taken from the University Historic District.  While I can't imagine going up to the front door of a house and ripping these from their bases, these folks are BOLD! Unfortunately, not only could you be out the money it cost you to produce the plaque, it could do some real damage to the exterior as these are either screwed or glued into place.

Our advice - stay aware of what is happening outside your front door.  Keep an eye on who's walking around and at what time of day.  Go on a family walk several times a week so that you get to know your neighbors and put a good and safe element into the neighborhood.  Keep your front porch light on from dusk till dawn.

A few weeks ago I wrote about losing two prominent architects in the same week – Steven T. Baird and Dean Gustavson.  We happened to be in the midst of celebrating their work with the Baird’s cinematic production of ZCMI: A Legacy in Cast Iron and discussing the potential to participate in Salt Lake Modern with Gustavson.

It’s time to now celebrate the work of two more local architects that have passed away this month.  They both happen to be from Ogden.

Keith Wilcox was an Ogden architect who designed buildings such as the Mount Ogden Middle School on Harrison Blvd., the original McKay (now McKay-Dee) hospital, and the Weber State University Fine Arts Center which was (now demolished) one of the state’s premier examples of the New Formalist style.  His architecture will best be remembered for his work on the Washington, D.C. LDS Temple (1968) which undoubtedly is inspired from above.  However, those that knew him best have reflected on how kind and generous Keith was in his work with the LDS Church in various positions all over the world.

Take a break from that crazy shopping to see the last film in the Design Matters film series.  Malls R Us will be shown Tuesday, December 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the City Library auditorium.  Our panel for this film will include Amy Lukas of Infinite Scale Design and economic consultant Bim Oliver.

Combining nostalgia, dazzling architecture, pop culture, economics and politics, MALLS R US examines North America's most popular and profitable suburban destination-the enclosed shopping center-and how for consumers they function as a communal, even ceremonial experience and, for retailers, sites where their idealism, passion and greed merge.

The film blends archival footage tracing the history of the shopping mall in America, visits to some of the world's largest and most spectacular malls-in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Japan, Poland, France, and Dubai-and interviews with architects, mall developers, sales managers, environmentalists, labor activists and social critics, as well as commentary from mall shoppers themselves.

Were you a big fan of the annual Utah Preservation magazine?  Maybe you've never heard of it.  No matter what your familiarity, you should check out the ten published issues of this full color glossy publication by State History from 1996-2006.  They are now all available online!

There are articles about preservation projects across the state, craftsmen, traditional rehabilitation techniques, archaeology, public lands, and the architects that built historic structures and rehabilitate them today.  You'll likely find it to be as wonderful a resource as we do.

See the issues here.  You can find a link at the bottom of the home page.

Announced in the December 15th Sugar House Journal, the former Rosslyn Heights Elementary School is reopening as the Salt Lake School for the Performing Arts.  Located at 2291 South 2000 East in Salt Lake City, the 1950 school building was vacated about six years ago after consolidation.  Since that time, the school has remained vacant.

UHF toured the building with school district officials in 1999 after the $100 million+ bond was passed and the future of many older school buildings were immediately in doubt.  Our assessment at that time was that Rosslyn Heights was well-maintained and appropriate additions in c. 1955, c. 1980, and c. 1990 were all appropriately done and also in good condition.  At that time, the district had not made a commitment to replace the school building.

The SPA had formerly been housed at Highland High School.  Over the summer, Rosslyn Heights went through a renovation that created optimal space not only for high school students but also the SPA's requirements for dance floors, stages, and production and rehearsal space.  Interestingly, the school also contains a community vet clinic providing vaccinations and licensing at half the cost of a regular veterinarian.